This interview originally appeared in the Crystal Palace v Manchester United matchday programme. You can shop for programmes by clicking HERE.
At the elite level, the margins between the good, the great, and the exceptional are seemingly growing ever smaller. There is no debating that ‘making it’ as a bona fide Premier League player has never been more challenging – just ask the 99 percent-plus of young players in England who do not.
In other words, as a BBC report framed it not too long ago, “there is slightly more chance of [a young player] making it into the top-flight than being struck by lightning – but not by much.”
While Eddie Nketiah might have made his breakthrough north of the River Thames, his is a story deeply rooted in a South London community which celebrates, every time he plays at the top level, his achievement in doing so. We saw it for ourselves when, to celebrate his transfer, he took the Palace TV cameras back to what he calls “the Ends.”
“I think it just brings back good memories: fun, enjoyment, that family feeling,” the beaming 25-year-old said in the car, Deptford-bound.
“Some of my family members are still around the area and my friends still live up close.” He points out the window. “That’s even my cousin right there, you know! That’s crazy!
“It’s where I grew up, bro. It doesn’t get any more real. You see how many people you bump into naturally. The Ends is always going to be the Ends. Every time I come back, it always puts a smile on my face. It’s good to be home, essentially.”